What You Leave Behind
by QuietDragon
Summary: Not long after being declared Champion, Ash revisits Unova, but Professor Juniper asks him to wait for someone at the airport... Ash and Trip discuss what it means to be a Champion, the nature of strength, and legacies. One-shot, genfic. [CW: off-screen character death, closing notes mention a real life death.]


It wasn't like Ash to keep still for long, even if he was waiting for someone and even if he was expected to be completely tired out after an eight hour flight.  
Both trainer and Pokemon were still brimming with energy, so after eating (again), he and Pikachu explored the shops and examined the tacky tourist trap shop merchandise with completely genuine interest and amusement (Pikachu liked to bob in time with the Cubchoo bobbleheads and Ash thought every "I Unova" shirt plastered with places they'd seen before looked "really cool!"), until they were told to leave unless they actually planned on buying something, but Delia had taught him not to buy things from airports, they were always more expensive than outside... but everything looked so much cooler grouped together and put under bright lights! ("That's exactly how they get you," his mother would conclude).

The reason he hadn't left the airport yet was a conversation that took place about an hour ago.

"It's great to see you back in the Unova region, Ash!" Professor Juniper greeted him warmly from the screen on his first day back.  
"Thanks, Professor! It brings a lot of memories, doesn't it, Pikachu?" Ash said, exchanging a smile with his companion.  
Except this time, he didn't come here on vacation or with his mother... but Professor Juniper's warm and cheerful voice reminded him of her, a little.  
"I'm sure it does! Oh, do you remember the trainer who set off on the same day as you, Trip?"  
Ash blinked, surprised to hear that name again, but smiled in recognition. "'Course! We battled in all sorts of tournaments and in the league too!"  
"He'll be arriving at the airport in the city you're in, maybe you can greet him?"  
"Can't see why not!"

After going upstairs to try and see how big the flag hanging down the middle really was, he heard the call for the arriving plane they were waiting for. Heading back down to the gate to wait as the passengers slowly filed in, as usual, it was Pikachu who first caught sight of the blond trainer, eagerly pointing him out to Ash.  
"Pikaapika, chu-pi!  
"Huh? ... oh, you're right!"

Trip was easy to miss in the crowd (had he gotten shorter or had Ash grown taller? Either way!), especially with eyes downcast, but when he heard Ash's loud voice calling his name over the din, it took him a moment to register it, but as soon as it did his head snapped up.

He had stopped walking from the surprise, however, and gotten pushed by the other, taller passengers.

"Whoops," Ash said, wondering if maybe he should've given the other trainer more time to escape the crowd of people, but he quickly decided to get in there and help him if needed.

Fortunately, Trip didn't really need much rescuing, pulling him by the wrist was enough, but Ash still smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about that..."

Ash fully expected to be told off for being loud again, but instead, Trip was quiet and didn't look away, still watching him even until he stopped rubbing at his wrist.

"What is it...?" Ash asked, confused.

"What are the odds of both of us arriving at the same time?" Trip asked.

"Oh, I got here a little earlier," Ash admitted. "Our flights were close together, so..."

Realizing this meant he must have waited for him, Trip went quiet again, finally averting his gaze, humbled and somewhat embarrassed.

Looking at him up-close, Ash realized he really was taller than him, even if Trip's shoes made them seem the same height.

"Thank you," Trip finally said.

Ash was a little surprised to hear the phrase, unsure what prompted it.

"We didn't have to wait too long! It wasn't that boring, right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu agreed, thinking of the cake it had at the shop and the bobbleheads. "Chuu!"

Trip shook his head, looking overcome by some emotion Ash couldn't quite read; his eyes looked distant, but more present than ever all at once, shining with unshed tears and even his face coloured.

Ash felt kind of sorry to see his old rival like this, but didn't understand what prompted it. He wondered if he embarrassed him by catching his wrist, he was pretty slow to shake his hand after the league...

"It isn't just about waiting for me," Trip said promptly, as if he'd read his mind. "But... for saving me."

Well, Trip could've fallen and maybe gotten stepped on if someone really wasn't careful, but he didn't think it was that dangerous! But the tone seemed to imply more, so Ash didn't say anything, he had a feeling that more of an explanation was coming.

"Thank you for everything you taught me back then. In Castelia city, when you showed me there was another way we could stop them..."

"Wow, that was a really long time ago, Trip," Ash said awkwardly.

It was pretty bad, with Trip trying to get in the way of saving the city and the Venipede themselves, thinking there was no victory without sacrifice, even if it meant burning a lot of frightened Pokemon, but in the end, they worked together, didn't they?

He couldn't understand why he'd bring up such an old story... he'd already forgiven him, without having to say anything, and he was happy when they fought side-by-side to keep everyone safe.

But Trip shook his head, then looked him in the eye again.

Ash was the sort to laugh things off and take things in stride, the kind that could change the lives of those he met without even meaning to and think nothing of it... that was another quality he shared with Alder.  
While Ash might not pay it any mind, to someone desperately seeking his own path, still struggling to identify the shape of his own strength, he could clearly see their unique threads of strength now, although it wasn't long ago that he could not recognize them for what they were...

To Ash, Trip seemed to want to say something else, but hesitated.

Ash vaguely wondered if Professor Juniper sent him to do a little more than just greet Trip, but then decided the best way to fix the uneasy silence that descended on them was his other favourite pastime after battling!

Food again!

"Let's go get ice cream!" Ash offered, turning right around, Pikachu chiming in with agreement.

Trip was silenced by the sheer whiplash, staying right where he Ash left him, as if he'd been abandoned, until Ash turned and called back, "Hey, that include you too, Trip!"

Thinking back to Iris' teasing, he wondered if Trip would refuse on account of it being childish, and wondered if he'd need to use a trick like Iris' to convince him, but luckily, Trip started following him on his own, even calling out Serperior.

Trip had a single scoop cone, Ash's cone had three! Trip had plain vanilla with sliced berries on top as an afterthought, Ash had three different flavors and lots of syrup and chocolate chips! Pikachu got a lemon scoop in a wafer cup with sliced strawberries! Serperior wasn't interested in the ice cream, but happily ate all the berries Trip picked off.

Ash thought it'd be funny to pick chocolate chips off of his ice cream and make a face on Pikachu's scoop.

Trip made some comment about Casteliacones being better that was pretty funny, so Ash thought he must be feeling a bit better.

He still didn't talk much otherwise, but that wasn't too surprising for Trip.

When they were done eating, Ash felt fired up for a rematch!

"How about a battle?" Ash asked, determined.

"No thanks," Trip said.

"What? No way..."

Ash sounded disappointed, Trip had intended to battle him again, so he didn't quite get why. Maybe the fact that Trip agreed to something like this without writing it off as childish and beneath him was

"... I don't feel up to challenging a Champion today," Trip said after a moment, giving Ash a side-long glance.

It's a little funny hearing Trip call him "Champion," he hadn't quite gotten used to it yet, but even if he was proud to be a step closer to his dream, Ash would hate it if everyone he knew got all stiff and formal with him.

"... the other thing I wanted to thank you for was helping me understand Alder sir. I'd hate to admit it, but, you're a lot alike..." Trip carried on. "You deserve the title, you know that, right? If it were me, back then..."

He would have been a terrible one, no doubt, solely focused on training and battling. Ash had more of an understanding of what was important; he respected Pokemon, he tried to see their point of view, he did his best for everyone's safety, he wasn't too scared to make friends with other humans and Pokemon, and he knew how to enjoy life.

"It was your first journey, Trip!" Ash reassured. "I got cocky sometimes back in Kanto, too... it's okay, everyone makes mistakes, we're still growing as long as we're on a journey, right?"

"Right... but you know, it took years for Alder sir to get to where you are now. I wonder how long it'll be for me? I just hope I'll be ready then," Trip said thoughtfully.

"I think maybe being a good Champion is something you got to keep working on, even after you become Champion," Ash offered. "Wait, I think I already pretty much said that before..."

He wasn't sure himself... it was still hard to believe he was finally a Champion himself. The word carried a lot of weight to it and thinking of the Champions he'd met before, like Cynthia and Alder, he wasn't sure where he stood yet. Even though he'd helped beginning trainers learn the ropes, he knew he wasn't at their level yet.

"Alder sir was different, too, before... I thought he was going soft, getting old, but he just realized what was important.

"I wanted to keep training, focusing only on strength, but meeting you made me start to question things..." Trip kept his gaze on Serperior instead, stroking the snake's under the chin. "I'm glad we met... and I'm glad I got to understand him before it was too late."

"Too late?" Ash asked warily.

Trip didn't meet his gaze, Serperior moved in in to nuzzle him, while Trip kept his hand where it was, holding nothing.

"... they didn't make it public yet, he was still wandering, on his own, and he fell asleep and didn't wake up. They found him in the forest, all covered in leaves. It was hard to get Bouffalant away, it only went with his grandson."

They might have only crossed paths a few times, but it still felt painful to remember that hearty, seemingly carefree laugh; that kind smile; and the way his great hands, leathery and travel-worn, ruffled their hair.

To have someone be so vibrant and alive in memory, even more vividly in photographs and film, but to know they would never see him in person again or hear a new word of advice from him again was painful still.

The bright and colourful atmosphere of the shop started to feel almost mocking or just terribly out-of-place, but a sympathetic Pikachu clambered onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

He stroked Pikachu's fur appreciatively, then looked back to Trip, who seemed to withdraw, with his head down and Serperior's tail coiling loosely around him. Ash wasn't as affectionate with most people as he was with Pokemon and Trip was even less so, but he felt so badly for the younger trainer, Ash had to think of something to help, without crossing a boundary even Serperior didn't.

"Remembering that we were together is one of the duties of those who shared those times," Ash said gently, echoing the words of Professor Kukui, the only father he'd gotten to know.

Trip seemed surprised to hear such words from Ash, but silently appreciated the gesture, smiling slightly and reaching tentatively out of his closed world to take Ash's hand, which surprised even Ash.

"Was he undefeated, until the end?" Ash asked, after some time, wondering if Unova was without a Champion now.

Trip stared at him as though he said something bizarre.

"Didn't you know?" he asked, stunned. "Your friend, Iris is Champion now."

"Iris?!" Ash repeated in surprise.

Thinking back, she had always been slow to open up—the secretive type—he heard the familiar cry of a young Dragon type Pokemon and when he turned, clearing a path through the crowd, with a glittering bejeweled tiara and a sheer, pink shawl fluttering behind her dress, almost like a celestial maiden's robe, he saw Iris walking towards the two. She met him with a gentle, but sober smile and the pieces fell into place, while time's relentless current flowed unabated around the transience of titles.

**Author's notes #1:** I nearly didn't post this, I am aware it has plot holes, but I felt guilty letting it sit, since it might mean something to somebody and I think it should be allowed to exist. The story was written almost all in one go, for the sake of one scene, and I haven't had that kind of inspiration in years. Forgive its flaws and treat it kindly.

_

**Author's notes #2:** ... I wrote the first author's notes above in October 11th of 2019, although I wrote the majority of this story days even before that, but still didn't share it, thinking it would disappoint fans, bother them, or feel like it's piggybacking too much off people's excitement about the Pocket Monsters 2019 series.

It's inspired by a number of things, but one of them is the real life death of the Japanese voice actor Unshou Ishizuka, voice of the narrator [who relayed to us Satoshi (Ash)'s story since episode one of the original series until Sun & Moon episode 92], Professor Oak, and yes, Champion Adeku (Alder) [whose anime personality even seems to be influenced by his seiyuu's often forgetful nature], among many Pokemon over the past 20 years.

Thank you and please leave a review if you made it this far.


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